Bautista grabbing stranglehold of O's closer role
Drew Silva discusses why Baltimore's Felix Bautista has everything you want from a fantasy reliever now having hold of the closer role.
Video Transcript
DREW SILVA: Changing bullpen roles are always an important focus in the fantasy baseball universe around the trade deadline, as noncontenders typically swap relievers for young, controllable talent. We wouldn't call the Orioles a noncontender, but they did send Jorge Lopez to the Twins last week, opening the door for Felix Bautista to fully grab hold of the closer role in Baltimore.
Bautista earned his fourth save of the year on August 5th, just a couple of days removed from the Lopez trade. And the 27-year-old right-hander boasts an overall 1.77 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 62 to 15 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 45 and 2/3 total innings this season. His strikeout percentage of 35.8 is seventh-best among all pitchers who've thrown at least 40 innings this year, trailing only Edwin Diaz, Devin Williams, Ryan Helsley, Andrés Muñoz, Spencer Strider, and Shohei Ohtani. Now with a clear path to save opportunities, Bautista has all the angles you'd want from a fantasy reliever with the championship weeks on the horizon.
